San Francisco 49ers: 2020 offseason needs primer

No. 5: Running Back

It seems a bit strange to think the 49ers are thinking about adding a running back this offseason, but the possibility of it is certainly there.

Jerick McKinnon, who has missed the last two seasons in San Francisco with a knee injury, is certainly a cut candidate. And after such an impressive 2018 campaign, fellow runner Matt Breida appeared to fall out of favor with head coach Kyle Shanahan down the stretch late in 2019.

But the kicker is the veteran, Tevin Coleman, whose $4.9 million salary in 2020 comes with zero in guarantees or dead money. Coleman, who had an up-and-down year reuniting with Shanahan, is a strong cut candidate, too, even though Shanahan seems preferential to his former understudy with the Atlanta Falcons.

Either way, it appears Shanahan and the 49ers will shake up their running back crop during the offseason, meaning it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team use a late-round NFL Draft pick on a runner Shanahan is eyeing.

Or, as was the case with Breida in 2017, an undrafted free agent becomes someone to watch during OTAs and training camp.